Determining the type of tissue in front of an interventional device is important to improve the outcome of an intervention. For instance in the case of oncology the procedure of taking a biopsy would improve if the tip of the biopsy needle is for certain in the suspected tissue. Also during surgery finding the boundaries of the tumor on the spot would greatly improve the surgical outcome. Another application is detection of the quality of the food. For instance a simple device indicating the lipid content and the “freshness” would be of help in various situations for consumers in daily life.
Determining a lipid-water ratio and scattering in a sample is desirable in a number of applications. One such application is the detection of quality of food. An apparatus for determination of a lipid-water ratio could also be advantageous for monitoring a lipid-water ratio in an animal or a human. Current apparatus capable of determining a lipid-water ratio and scattering in a sample might be complex to use, time consuming and/or expensive. There exist apparatuses that can measure the constitution of the samples. For instance, a spectrometer measuring in the near infrared (NIR) range can measure the reflectance spectra from which water and fat can be deduced. However, this apparatus is not simple, compact or low-cost. For many applications, such as for home applications, a compact, simple, and low-cost apparatus for determining a lipid-water ratio and/or a scattering parameter in a sample could be advantageous.
The reference U.S. Pat. No. 7,486,985 B2 relates to methods and devices for characterizing tissue in vivo, e.g., in walls of blood vessels, to determine whether the tissue is healthy or diseased. The reference, however, does not describe a simple apparatus for determining a lipid-water ratio and/or a scattering parameter in a sample.
Hence, an improved apparatus for determining a lipid-water ratio and/or a scattering parameter in a sample would be advantageous, and in particular a simple, compact and in principle low cost apparatus for determining a lipid-water ratio and/or a scattering parameter in a sample would be advantageous.